Apparatus for making cellular masses



July 20, 1943. R. M. URQUHART APPARATUS FOR MAKING CELLULAR MASSES Original Filed May 26, 1937 Watenteni duty 29, i943 ,npot

APPARATUS FOR MAKING CELLULAR,

MASSES Radcliife Morris Urquhart, Montgomeryville, Pa.

Original application May 26, 1937, Serial No. 144,885. Divided and this application June 21,

1 Claim.

My invention relates to apparatus for making cellular masses, such as foam or the like. The present application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 144,885, filed May 26, 1937, for Apparatus and method for making cellular masses.

Cellular masses, for various purposes, have been made hitherto by means of chemical reactions, physical changes due to variations in heat and pressure, or by mechanical beating of a liquid, All of these means have variously proven unsatisfactory by reason of expense of equipment, chemicals, or fuel, as well as frequent lack of adaptability of the apparatus to the place of application of the product. Moreover, in the prior art methods, the product produced has often been unsatisfactory. Nor has it been possible, in many instances, to vary the size of the individual cells, as desired.

Yet, the need is great for inexpensive means for making cellular substances, particularly at the place of application of said substances for the uses for which they are intended; and in many instances, there is an important need for varying the size and integral constituents of the individual cells. Instances of such needs may be found in the fire extinguishing field, the building and construction industries, liquid storage tank fields, the food industries, and fields involving the simulation or reproduction of desired views such as scenic effects.

One object of my invention therefore is to provide means whereby a cellular mass such as foam may be practically, readily and inexpensively produced in the general region of a fire, for fire extinguishing purposes.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for making cellular substances such as insulation, acoustic walls, ceilings, wall fillers, panels and the like, for use in the building or construction industries.

A further object of my invention is to provide.

means for satisfactorily and inexpensively producing scenic displays.

with the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in means for making a cellular substance, which comprises emitting a liquid.

1940, Serial No. 341,938

fined foam promoting liquid, operatively to in crease the pressure of said liquid, and educing a gas into said liquid to form a cellular mass or foam, and discharging the resultant mass.

My invention also consists in means for manufacturing a foam dried in a manner to retain the cellular structure of the foam in a substantially solid form. I

My invention also consists in means for varying the physical properties of the cellular mass by regulating the relative quantities of gas, liquid, or cellular mass forming substance.

My invention further consists of the apparatus for making a cellular substance, which comprises a closed container adapted to hold a foam promoting liquid, a supplementary container adapted to release gas under pressure into said liquid container, an eductor adapted to commingle a gasand said liquid in a manner to form a cellular mass, and a discharge conduit adapted to draw off said cellular mass.

My invention further consists of means for producing a substantially solid cellular mass comprising the residual product of a foam comprising liquid, gaseous and cellular-mass forming constituents, with the liquid constituent removed therefrom.

Forthe purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawing a form thereof which is at present preferred by me, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can v :be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Referring to the drawing in which like reference characters indicate like parts:

The drawing represents a vertical sectional view of an apparatus for forming cellular masses, embodying my invention,

The liquid having viscous qualities may be any desired liquid which is capable of entraining a gas. Thus, it may be an aqueous solution of a cementitious material, such as glue, albumen, or of a saponaceous material such as tannin, licorice, soap, spent sulphite liquor, or the like, or any material such as casein, glucose or the like, or combinations thereof capable of altering, forming or supporting a filmy surface in the production of foam.

If desired, a freezing point depressant such as calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, sodium chloride or potassium carbonate may be placed in solution with the liquid thereby. to prevent said solution from freezing in the container prior I to the operation thereof. Moreover, if desired, a corrosion inhibitor such as potassium chromate or potassium acetate may also be placed in solution-with the liquid, in order to protect the elements of the apparatus.

In the drawing is shown a cellular mass generator embodying my invention, inwhich the liquid is urged out of the container by gas pressure generated by the chemical reaction of co-actlng reagents, and gas is aspirated from the atmosphere into the discharging liquid, thereby to build up the cellular structure in the formation of the cellular mass.

Thus, I provide a container 16 and a removable cap 11 sealed thereto, in any suitable manner.

A vessel I8, such as a tank or bottle, is secured to the upper portion of the inner-side wall 19 of the container 18, and has mounted therein suitable means 80 for supporting a bottle 8|. A spindle 82 is rotatably mounted in the base 88 of the-cap I1, and has secured to the upper end thereof a handle 84, and to the lower end thereof an arm 85 in juxtaposition to the neck of the bottle 8|. The relation of the arm 85 and the bottle 8! is such that, when the handle 84 is turned, the arm 85 upsets the bottle 8| in the container 18, thereby liberating the contents the container 16, and leads at its upper end into an aspirator 81 open to the atmosphere in a manner to draw air therefrom into the liquid flowing through the aspirator, discharge the resultant mixture of liquidand air into the discharge conduit 88, and out of the discharge nozzle 88 at the end thereof.

In accordance with this form of my invention, the container 18 is charged with any desired cellular mass forming liquid 90 up to a point below the opening of the vessel I8, the vessel 18 is then charged with a suitable quantity of reagent, and a bottle 8| of coactable reagent is then placed in position on the support 80. The cap 11 is then sealed to the container I6 and the bottle upsetting mechanism comprising the handle 84, spindle 82 and arm 85, moved into operative relation to the bottle 8|. When it is desired to place the generator in operation, the handle 84 is turned, upsetting bottle 8|, thereby liberating the contents of the same. Gas is then generated by the reagents and is liberated into the upper portion SI of the container 16, exerting a pressure upon the liquid 90 in a manner to urge the same through the discharge tube 88, into and through the aspirator 81, where it is mixed with the gas aspirated from the atmosphere, and the mixtureejected through the discharge conduit 88 and discharge nozzle 89. The aspirator 81 preferably has mounted therein suitable means, such as a spiral baflle similar to that illustrated in Patent 2,106,043, dated January 18, 1938, of which I am a co-inventor, or a screen, converging jets or a nozzle of irregular contour as shown in my copending application Serial No. 333,845, filed May 7, 1940, or any other suitable means, for enlarg ing the surface of the liquid exposed to the gas admitted to the aspirator.

By my novel invention, it is possible to change tion thereof.

A cellular mass having a ratio of ten parts of gas to one of liquid introduced into the eductor or proportioner, will be of a substantially stiff, resilient and very light weight structure, nonfree-fiowing, but very cohesive. A cellular mass of this ratio tends to cling to almost any solidor liquid surface. It is capable of supporting fairly substantial weight, and can be built up into mounds of substantial size for any of various desired uses, such as the building of scenic effects. Such uses include the simulation or reproduction of glaciers, snow scenes, mountains or rock formations, for photographic purposes. Cellular masses having a ratio, of seven or eight parts of gas to one of liquid are of substantially dry characteristics, yet of sufficientability to flow to enable them to spread when emitted from the discharge nozzle. Such cellular mass is particularly adaptable for use for fire extinguishing purposes. Thus, such foam may be poured on buming surfaces, such as that ofvolatile liquids, and will spread over such surfaces operatively to sufiocate the combustion thereof. Also, such cellular mass will cling to a burning wall, and is capable of forming a blanket thereon to suffocate the combustion thereof.

Furthermore, quick-setting chemicals, such as salts, cement, plaster of Paris, or gypsum derivatives, may be' introduced with the cellular mass forming substance, operatively to cause the cellular mass discharged from the generator quickly to solidify. Moreover, fire resisting elements such as silicate of soda may also be introduced therewith. I

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the

- scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claim are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

Apparatus for making a cellular mass, which comprises a container adapted to'hold a liquid; chemical reagents in said container, adapted to coact to generate a gas for urging said liquid toward a point of discharge; an aspirator-through which said liquid passes in a manner to aspirate air from the atmosphere into said liquid; and means for bringing said chemical reagents into coacting relation to each other to generate gas.

RADCLIFFE MORRIS URQUHART. 

